10 Easy Cocktail Recipes You Can Make at Home Tonight

You don't need fancy equipment or bartending school to make great cocktails at home. All you need is a few quality bottles, some fresh ingredients, and these 10 foolproof recipes that work every time. Every ingredient mentioned below is available at Buffalo House Liquor & Wines in Tonawanda, NY.

1. Classic Margarita

The most popular cocktail in America, and it's dead simple:

• 2 oz tequila blanco + 1 oz fresh lime juice + 0.75 oz triple sec + 0.5 oz agave syrup
• Shake with ice, strain into a salt-rimmed glass over fresh ice
• Garnish with a lime wheel

2. Whiskey Sour

Sweet, sour, and smooth — the drink that converts non-whiskey drinkers:

• 2 oz bourbon + 1 oz fresh lemon juice + 0.75 oz simple syrup + egg white (optional)
• Dry shake (no ice) first if using egg white, then shake hard with ice
• Strain and garnish with a cherry and orange slice

3. Moscow Mule

Refreshing, gingery, and looks great in a copper mug:

• 2 oz vodka + 4 oz ginger beer + 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• Build in a copper mug or tall glass filled with ice
• Garnish with a lime wedge and mint sprig

4. Aperol Spritz

Light, bubbly, and impossible not to love:

• 3 oz Prosecco + 2 oz Aperol + 1 oz soda water
• Build in a large wine glass with ice
• Garnish with an orange slice

5. Gin & Tonic

The world's simplest great cocktail:

• 2 oz gin + 4-5 oz quality tonic water
• Fill a tall glass with lots of ice, pour gin, top with tonic
• Garnish with lime, cucumber, or rosemary depending on your gin

Shop the Ingredients

Bombay Sapphire Gin $17.99 Shop Now Aperol $26.99 Shop Now Hennessy VS $46.99 Shop Now 1800 Tequila Blanco $2.99 Shop Now

6. Dark & Stormy

Rum's answer to the Moscow Mule:

• 2 oz dark rum + 4 oz ginger beer + 0.5 oz lime juice
• Build over ice in a tall glass. The dark rum floats on top — don't stir
• Garnish with a lime wedge

7. Paloma

Mexico's most popular cocktail (even more than the Margarita there):

• 2 oz tequila + 4 oz grapefruit soda (Jarritos or Squirt) + 0.5 oz lime juice + pinch of salt
• Build over ice in a salt-rimmed tall glass
• Garnish with a grapefruit wedge

8. French 75

Elegant and deceptively strong:

• 1.5 oz gin + 0.75 oz lemon juice + 0.5 oz simple syrup + 3 oz Champagne or sparkling wine
• Shake gin, lemon, and syrup with ice. Strain into a flute, top with bubbles

9. Rum & Coke (Cuba Libre)

Sometimes simple is perfect:

• 2 oz rum + 4-5 oz Coca-Cola + squeeze of lime
• Build over ice in a tall glass
• The lime is what elevates this from basic to a proper Cuba Libre

10. Negroni

For when you want something bold and sophisticated:

• 1 oz gin + 1 oz Campari + 1 oz sweet vermouth
• Stir with ice, strain over a large ice cube
• Garnish with an orange peel

Come to Buffalo House Liquor & Wines in Tonawanda, NY and grab everything you need for cocktail night. Tell us what recipes you're making and we'll help you pick the right bottles.